Federal workers and their supporters rallied for their jobs near the White House on Thursday as the partial government shutdown rolled through its third week with no end in sight.

Almost half of the 800,000 civilian federal employees are not working, and even those that are won't be paid until the stalemate is settled. For most, the furlough becomes real Friday when they miss their first payday.

Lila Johnson, who has worked as a contracted custodian for the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 21 years, was among the demonstrators on a cold, windy day. She said her daughter has been helping her out financially.

“It’s a struggle," she said. "It’s time for them to open the government back up so people like me ... can go back to work.”

The impact is rocking federal employees across the nation. In tiny Arcata, California, single mom Leisyka Lee has worked for the Bureau of Land Management for 17 years.

"I live paycheck to paycheck," she said. "I earn a living wage when I work. I love my job and I just want to get back to work."

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The government shutdown, now lasting 18 days, marks the second longest United States in history, affecting about 800,000 federal employees. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775278689 ORIG FILE ID: 1079379668(Photo: Mark Makela, Getty Images)

In Madison, Wisconsin, Carl Houtman has spent the last 21 years working for the Forest Service. The chemical engineer said he is the primary wage earner for his family of four – including two in college.

"Guess what happens this time of year – tuition bills," he said. Property tax. Christmas credit cards. This is absolutely the worst time of year to miss a paycheck."

President Donald Trump has said he would be willing to keep the shutdown going for a year or more if Democrats don't yield to his demands for $5.7 billion toward funding a border wall. Talks broke down Wednesday, and it was unclear when or if they would restart.

Trump has suggested that liberals should feel compelled to go along, claiming that "most of the people not getting paid are Democrats." He also has said federal workers support his plans for the wall and his decision to force the shutdown.

"The president has a cavalier attitude because he has no idea what it's like to rely on a regular paycheck," said Steve Lenkart, spokesman for the National Federation of Federal Workers.

Houtman said Trump's dismissive attitude to federal workers dampens their hopes for a quick settlement.

"The whole drum beat in the conservative media about how federal employees don't really do anything, that we are not important, it adds to the stress," Houtman said.

The federation, which represents more than 100,000 federal workers, is co-sponsoring the rally. Lenkart said the rally Thursday will include congressional leaders and workers who will explain how the shutdown affects them, their families, their agencies and Americans across the country.

On Tuesday, more than 200 furloughed workers rallied at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Rep. Brendan Boyle, R-Pa., among those in attendance, said more than 11,000 federal workers in his state are affected by the shutdown.

“President Trump has been loud and clear – he doesn’t care that hundreds of thousands of public servants aren’t getting their paychecks because of his manufactured funding crisis," Boyle said. "But his words have consequences. Federal workers ... are struggling to keep their families in their homes, keep the lights on, and put food on the table."

A Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) worker looks at a passenger going through security at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 24, 2019. Air transport workers warned the five-week-old US government shutdown could cause US commercial aviation to collapse as they planned a protest in the US capital's National Airport. They also pointed to the lengthening of passenger inspection times in airports due to an increasing number of workers for the TSA not showing up. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP/Getty Images

An American Airlines ground staff member walks towards planes on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on Jan. 24, 2019. American Airlines executives warned of significant travel delays if the US government shutdown goes on much longer, but said that customer demand has not been significantly affected thus far. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP/Getty Images

People demonstrate in Richmond, Va., to support The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Bureau of Prisons employees who are affected by the partial government shut down Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Alexa Welch Edlund, Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Commissioner Jess Dickinson, left, briefs the lawmakers on the department's budget requests at the House Appropriations Committee at the Capitol, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, in Jackson, Miss. The committee was also told welfare and child protection agencies could have to begin furloughing some workers without pay because federal money has been interrupted by the federal government shutdown. Rogelio V. Solis, AP

A woman displays her thoughts, written out on a disposable plate, during the 'Occupy Hart' protest against the partial government shutdown sponsored by American Federation of Government Employees at the Hart Senate Office Building at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on 23 Jan. 23, 2019. Federal workers and their supporters stood silently for 33 minutes for the 33 days of the shutdown. Erik S. Lesser, EPA-EFE

Chris George, a federal employee furloughed from his job as a forestry technician supervisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, takes off his boots at his home adorned with an American flag after spending the day working as a handyman Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, in Hemet, Calif. "I have a lot of pride, so asking for help is difficult for me. It's very difficult for me because I'm always the one giving back or putting myself before anybody else," said George. "Now, here I am in the situation where I'm the one that is in need." Jae C. Hong, AP

Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen Jan. 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since Jan. 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Doris Cochran works on "an ugly sweater," which she is planning to sell, Jan. 18, 2019 in her apartment in Arlington, Va., Cochran is a disabled mother of two young boys living in subsidized housing in Arlington. She’s stockpiling canned foods to try to make sure her family won’t go hungry if her food stamps run out. She says she just doesn’t know “what’s going to happen” and that’s what scares her the most. Sait Serkan Gurbuz, AP

A U.S. Coast Guard member carries a box of free groceries during a food giveaway Jan. 19, 2019 in Novato, Calif. As the partial government shutdown enters its fourth week, an estimated 150 U.S. Coast Guard families in the San Francisco Bay Area, who are currently not being paid, received free groceries during an event organized by the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and the North Bay Coast Guard Spouses Club. Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Jan. 16, 2019. Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlike employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal. SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Amy McElroy, left, and Lt. j.g. Sean Hill, who both missed a paycheck a day earlier during the partial government shutdown, talk about the stacks of fishing fleet inspections backing-up in the marine inspection office at Sector Puget Sound base, Jan. 16, 2019, in Seattle. The four civilian employees who normally handle the paperwork have been furloughed, leaving it to Hill to complete, along with his other duties. The Coast Guard is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is unfunded during the shutdown, now in its fourth week. Elaine Thompson, AP

U.S. Coast Guardsmen and women, who missed their first paycheck a day earlier during the partial government shutdown, walk off a 45-foot response boat during their shift at Sector Puget Sound base in Seattle on Jan. 16, 2019. Elaine Thompson, AP

Aaron Hensley, left, is handed Stouffer's meals, Jan. 16, 2019, in Solon, Ohio. Hensley and Joe Brodt, right, both work at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The government shutdown has generated an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. Hensley has been at NASA eight months and Brodt has just finished his one-year anniversary. Tony Dejak, AP

A federal employee carries away a bag of free Kraft products outside a pop-up grocery store opened by Kraft to provide humanitarian aid to federal employees who have been affected by the ongoing shutdown in Washington, DC, Jan. 17, 2019. Kraft opened the site, which will remain open through 20 January, so that federal employees can take a bag of free Kraft groceries home to their families. About 800,000 federal workers have been working without pay or have been furloughed. The shutdown began 22 December 2018 and is now the longest in US history with no clear end in sight. MICHAEL REYNOLDS, EPA-EFE

A man heading into the Sacramento International Airport passes demonstrators calling for President Trump and Washington lawmakers to end the shutdown, Jan. 16, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. Rich Pedroncelli, AP

Airport operation workers wearing fluorescent safety jackets flipped burgers and hot dogs on a grill set up on a tarmac in front of a plane at Salt Lake City International Airport, Jan. 16, 2019, in Salt Lake City. In Salt Lake City, airport officials treated workers from the TSA, FAA and Customs and Border Protection to a free barbecue lunch as a gesture to keep their spirits up during a difficult time. Rick Bowmer, AP

TSA employee Gary Vetterli prepares a hot dog during lunch at Salt Lake City International Airport, Jan. 16, 2019. The government shutdown has generated an outpouring of generosity to TSA agents and other federal employees who are working without pay. In Salt Lake City, airport officials treated workers from the TSA, FAA and Customs and Border Protection to a free barbecue lunch as a gesture to keep their spirits up during a difficult time. Rick Bowmer, AP

Security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta stretch more than an hour long amid the partial federal shutdown, causing some travelers to miss flights, Monday morning, Jan. 14, 2019. The long lines signaled staffing shortages at security checkpoints, as TSA officers have been working without pay since the federal shutdown began Dec. 22. John Spink/AP

Statues at the Korean War Veterans Memorial are covered in snow in Washington, DC, on Monday. Federal offices and schools in the nation's capital are closed following a snowstorm this weekend that left an estimated accumulation of 8 to 12 inches of snow in the area. Despite the shutdown of the federal government, the National Park Service announced it would clear snow. Almost three hundred miles of roads and over one hundred miles of sidewalks in the greater Washington DC area fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE

President Donald Trump speaks alongside fast food he purchased for a ceremony honoring the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers in the State Dining Room of the White House in on Jan. 14, 2019. Trump says the White House chefs are furloughed due to the partial government shutdown. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Guests select fast food Donald Trump purchased for a ceremony honoring the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

A traveler walks past a closed down terminal at the Miami International Airport on Jan. 12, 2019, in Miami. The partial government shutdown is starting to strain the national aviation system, with unpaid security screeners staying home, air-traffic controllers suing the government and safety inspectors off the job. Brynn Anderson, AP

A TSA officer closes the entrance of the Miami International Airport's Terminal G, during the ongoing the government shutdown, in Miami on Jan. 12, 2019. The current partial shutdown of the US federal government has become the longest in US history, on Jan. 12, surpassing the previous 21-day shutdown of 1995-1996. Over 800,000 federal employees are impacted by the shutdown, with around 400,000 furloughed and being paid later and the rest deemed 'essential', who must work without pay, though retroactive pay is expected, with Jan. 11 marking the first missed paycheck. CRISTOBAL HERRERA, EPA-EFE

TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day. RYAN MERCER, BURLINGTON FREE PRESS VIA USA TODAY NETWORK

Nia Tagoai, a patient scheduler at a clinic offering health care and other services operated by the Seattle Indian Health Board, works at her desk on Jan. 11, 2019, in Seattle. Fallout from the federal government shutdown is hurting hundreds of Native American tribes and entities that serve them. The pain is especially deep in tribal communities with high rates of poverty and unemployment, and where one person often supports an extended family. Ted S. Warren, AP

Tables sit empty during dinnertime at Rocket City Tavern near numerous federal agencies in Huntsville, Ala., Jan.. 9, 2019. Business at the restaurant is off at least 35 percent since the partial federal shutdown began. David Goldman, AP

A worker walks through the empty lobby of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Center for Explosives Training and Research in Huntsville, Ala., Jan. 9, 2019. About 70 federal agencies are located at the Army's sprawling Redstone Arsenal, and more than half the area economy is tied to Washington spending. David Goldman, AP

Jack Lyons, a contractor working on massive rocket test stands for NASA, stands in his workshop while spending the furlough on his small side business making props for marching bands, in Madison, Ala., Jan. 8, 2019. "They're trying to use people as bargaining chips, and it just isn't right," Lyons said. Unlike civil service workers who expect to eventually get back pay, Lyons doesn't know if he'll ever see a dollar from the shutdown period. David Goldman, AP

Katie Barron gestures while looking at a pay increase notice for her children's day care, in her home in Madison, Ala., Jan. 9, 2019. Barron's husband is a National Weather Service meteorologist forced to work without pay during the shutdown because his job is classified as essential. They've put off home and car maintenance, but the $450-a-week bill for day care still has to be paid, as do the mortgage and utility bills. David Goldman, AP

Keisha Brown, 40, stands outside her home in the the Harriman Park neighborhood in Birmingham, Ala. on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. Brown's home is within a designated Superfund site in north Birmingham. The EPA has been removing contaminated soil from yards in the neighborhoods within the site. The partial government shutdown has forced suspension of federal work at the nation's Superfund sites unless it is determined there is an "imminent threat" to life or property. Kimberly Chandler, AP

Federal Aviation Administration employee Michael Jessie, who is currently working without pay as an aviation safety inspector for New York international field office overseeing foreign air carriers, holds a sign while attending a news conference at Newark Liberty International Airport, Jan. 8, 2019, in Newark, N.J. U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez called a news conference at the airport to address the partial government shutdown, which is keeping some airport employees working without pay. Julio Cortez, AP

Tourists on bikes stop at the entrance to Fort Point National Historic Site, a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bride, a popular tourist site that is closed in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2019. JOHN G. MABANGLO, EPA-EFE

David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on Jan. 8, 2019 in Philadelphia. Mark Makela, Getty Images

A disappointed young visitor, Asa Hazelwood, 3, pauses at the closed gates to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC on Jan. 2, 2019. Asa's mother was unaware of the zoo's closure. The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are now closed to visitors during a partial shutdown as Congress and President Trump are at an impasse over funding of Trump's proposed southern border wall. ERIK S. LESSER, EPA-EFE

A Transportation Security Administration officer works at a checkpoint at Miami International Airport, Jan. 6, 2019, in Miami. The TSA acknowledged an increase in the number of its employees calling off work during the partial government shutdown. Lynne Sladky, AP

Brandon Torres (center), the Branch Chief of Emergency Services at Grand Canyon National Park, directs guests in the park on Jan. 4, 2019. The park was staffed at minimum capacity due to the government shutdown but retained much of its services due to an executive order issued by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to run the park with state funds in the event of a shutdown. Thomas Hawthorne, The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK

New brewing equipment, rear, sits idle in a warehouse used by the Alementary Brewing Co. in Hackensack, N.J., Jan. 7, 2019. The owners recently invested in one million dollars worth of new equipment and a new 13,000 sq ft warehouse which would increase their capacity five times, but due to the government shutdown, they have been unable to get the required licenses from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Seth Wenig, AP

A guard enters the closed National Archives building in Washington, DC on Dec. 22, 2018. A partial US government shutdown began at midnight, Dec. 22, when a funding agreement between Congress and President Trump could not be reached. ERIK S. LESSER, EPA-EFE

Barricades block a closed campground at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, Calif. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park due to safety concerns as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown. Mario Tama, Getty Images

Volunteers Alexandra (R) and Ruth Degen walk after cleaning a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Volunteers with 'Friends of Joshua Tree National Park' have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown. Mario Tama, Getty Images

People watch as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry transports passengers on Jan. 5, 2019, in New York, as the government shutdown enters its third week. New York state funds are being used to keep the attractions open during the shutdown which has affected National Parks. DON EMMERT, AFP/Getty Images

Nora Brooks a furloughed customer service representative for the Internal Revenue Service poses for a photograph at her home in Philadelphia, Jan. 3, 2019. Brooks has been furloughed, worrying about whether she will need to seek a second job. The agency requires pre-approval to avoid conflicts of interest, but there's no one in the office to sign off. Matt Rourke, AP

A donation box sits on the counter as Dany Garcia speaks with visitors at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Everglades National Park, Jan. 4, 2019, in Homestead, Fla. Garcia is being paid by the Florida National Parks Association to work in the center during the partial government shutdown. As the shutdown drags on, private organizations, local businesses, volunteers and state governments are putting up the money and manpower to keep national parks across the U.S. open, safe and clean for visitors. Lynne Sladky, AP

Federal contractor Chris Erickson paints his bathroom, Jan., 4, 2019, in North Salt Lake, Utah. Erickson says he'll run out of vacation days if the shutdown continues. The father of three from Salt Lake City will then crack into his savings, and he'll likely postpone a 14th wedding anniversary trip with his wife to a cabin. Erickson said he likely won't get the chance for reimbursement for the lost days because he's a contractor. Rick Bowmer, AP

Workmen from the commercial cleanup company 1-800-GOT-JUNK clean up trash on The Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019. The company donated resources to clean up the area. SHAWN THEW, EPA-EFE

In this Nov. 21, 2018, file photo, Justin Roth holds a handful of soybeans at the Brooklyn Elevator in Brooklyn, Iowa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown. The announcement on Jan. 4, 2019 left investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets. The USDA planned to release the reports Jan. 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately, the agency wouldn't have time to release the reports as scheduled. Charlie Neibergall, AP

Correctional Officer Joseph Pellicano who is employed at United States Penitentiary at Canaan has been on staff for 12 and half years and will be working without pay until the government shutdown ends in Jessup, Pa., on Jan. 4, 2019. Jake Danna Stevens, The Times-Tribune via AP

Rebecca Maclean, a housing program specialist for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Pittsburgh, sits outside her home in Pittsburgh, Jan. 3, 2019. Maclean, 41, has been on furlough since Dec. 21. Her family's financial outlook isn't dire yet since her husband, Dan Thompson, owns a knife-making business and works as an elected constable. But the couple recently sat down to prioritize which bills must be paid on time and which can be paid late without dinging their credit history. Gene J. Puskar, AP

Visitors walk past the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pa. on Jan. 2, 2019. Signs were posted on all doors stating that the facilities were closed because of the government shutdown, but that the grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. Darrell Sapp, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP

Mike Gayzagian, a 49-year-old Transportation Security Administration officer at Boston's Logan International Airport, speaks with a reporter from The Associated Press at his home in Watertown, Mass on Jan. 3, 2019. Gayzagian, who has worked for the TSA more than a decade, got his last pre-shutdown paycheck last week, and he continues to report to work, as all TSA officers have since the government closed. The 49-year-old said worrying about finances has made it difficult to concentrate on the work of keeping airports safe. Steven Senne, AP

Some workers even started GoFundMe campaigns, but the Office of Government Ethics warned that standard ethics rules apply. Such donations would likely be considered gifts, and rules for accepting gifts are stringent.

The U.S. Coast Guard thought it was being helpful when it posted a tip sheet with a list of suggestions such as holding garage sales, babysitting or tutoring to make ends meet. One last option – declaring bankruptcy. The tip sheet was later removed from the agency's website.

Lee, a former firefighter who now does education outreach for BLM, said vegetation fuel reduction work normally performed this time of year across the West is on hold, which could loom large when fire season rolls around in the spring.

Houtman said he has research reports sitting idle on his desk, and he has a graduate student hamstrung in her efforts to complete experiments required for her thesis.

But he admits the financial issues remain front and center. A kind neighbor brought frozen food from their freezer to help his family out, he said.